NEW YORK, N.Y. — Two pilots were killed when an Air Canada Express regional jet collided with a Port Authority fire truck on a runway at LaGuardia Airport, injuring dozens of passengers and crew members and shutting down one of the nation busiest airports. Six primary accounts informed this report: AP News, Reuters, CBS News, Fox News, NBC News, and CNN.
- Air Canada Express Flight 8646, a CRJ-900 arriving from Montreal with 72 passengers and four crew, struck the fire-rescue vehicle while landing on Runway 4 late Sunday night.
- The pilot and co-pilot were confirmed dead at the scene by Air Canada regional partner Jazz Aviation.
- Forty-one passengers, crew members and firefighting officers were transported to hospitals with injuries; nine remained hospitalized with serious injuries.
- The National Transportation Safety Board launched a go team to investigate the collision, with assistance from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Additional Details Reported
The fire truck was reportedly responding to a separate incident involving a United Airlines flight that had reported an odor in the cabin. Air traffic control recordings indicate a controller had initially cleared the vehicle to cross the runway before attempting to stop it.
LaGuardia Airport was closed with a ground stop in effect until at least 2 p.m. Monday, disrupting hundreds of flights. The collision caused significant damage to the aircraft nose and cockpit area.
Image Attribution
Image: US Airways Terminal at LaGuardia Airport
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Author: Ibagli
License: Public Domain
How we report: We select the day’s most important stories, confirm facts across multiple reputable sources, and avoid anonymous sourcing. Our goal is clear, balanced coverage you can trust—because transparency and verification matter for informed readers.